DO

Bye Bye Meebo?

The Windows Live Messenger IM Control enables web sites to show the presence of Windows Live Messenger users, and let site visitors engage in instant messaging conversations with the Messenger users. A Web site can invite its users to share their Messenger presence and exchange messages with visitors to the site. When a site hosts the Windows Live Messenger IM Control, site visitors can instant message Messenger users directly from the browser without installing the Windows Live Messenger desktop client on their computers. This provides an ideal mechanism for Web sites to enable site visitors to send messages to Windows Live Messenger users who agree to share their presence on the Web. For example, a social networking site can invite its users to share their Messenger presence on user profile pages, or the author of a blog could use it to invite readers to discuss a particular topic.

My take is that Microsoft has just unleashed hell (see bold comments below)! This is taken from the visitor’s sign-in window:

Automatically sign in

Each time you visit <sitename> you will be automatically signed in to Messenger. You can allow your Messenger contacts to see that you are visiting <sitename> and send messages to you.

Choosing this option also allows <sitename> to:

• Learn your Windows Live ID (ok, I can live with this one)
• Set your status, display name, and personal message on Messenger (WTF?)
• See the status and e-mail addresses of your Messenger contacts (see their e-mail addresses? ohoho! Affiliate Heaven!)
• Add and remove your Messenger contacts (<brand X> wants to be your friend!)
• Send and receive messages to your Messenger contacts (any messages? Is “Fuck you” eligible?)

Microsoft has authorized <sitename> to connect to the .NET Messenger Service provided that it follows certain rules, such as not asking for your password. <link to <sitename>’s privacy policy.

This is going to totally mess up people’s IM usage and create LOADS of noise in MSN’s Network.

Anyway… Docs for developers here. More details as I delve into this.